Travel and Food

Valentine’s Day(ish) dining at Trinity, Clapham Old Town

I’ve mentioned this quite a few times over the last week or so now: I’m not a super big Valentine’s Day person, and neither is Aidan. We do however love a cheeky card, and, more importantly, an excuse to splash out on nice food and treat ourselves. For this, we really don’t need to be asked twice.

While we can’t even remember if we did or didn’t do anything last year, this month we were keen to squeeze in a nice meal and spend a day pretending that we aren’t trying to save money in one of the most expensive cities in the world. After some deliberation, we decided on Trinity, as it’s a restaurant Aidan has wanted to visit for a few months now, and booked a spot on a quiet Sunday to avoid the mushy actual Valentine’s Day diners.

Trinity is a privately owned restaurant in Clapham Old Town run by chef and food writer Adam Byatt. Opened in 2006, Trinity‘s seasonal, modern and inviting food was finally awarded one Michelin star in October 2016 and we were so excited to get a chance to experience everything we had oggled at on their Instagram page – especially since it’s so close to our flat, and therefore easy stumbling distance for afterwards.

The restaurant itself is a simple but cosy design with muted colours and soft seating, including a large, plush green sofa. With only around 30 seats or so, it is the perfect balance: small enough to feel homely, but still large enough to still have some privacy. This simplicity is contrasted by the three stunning pieces by Kristijana S Williams that completely own the room. Representing Spring, Summer and Autumn, and also reflecting the seasonal produce used by the restaurant throughout the year, the pieces bring the room together and amplify the warmth that draws you in with a huge burst of colour.

Steak Tartare with Caviar

The food itself really is a feast for the eyes as well. For dinner, there is the choice between three of four courses, and being the piggies that we are we obviously went for the four.

My favourite by far was definitely the Tartare Angus Steak which was served beautifully inside a large, blue caviar tin with bone marrow, smoked mushroom and a generous amount of Daurenki Caviar. I’m not a massive caviar person, but honestly this was melt-in-your-mouth to die for, and it was only the first course. I’m so glad we ordered one each so I didn’t have to share (sorry Aidan, not).

Pigs’ trotters, but not like you think.

I also really enjoyed the crispy pig trotters, which to the every day pleb like me doesn’t sound that inviting, but it was everything I like on a plate. Crispy, rich and delicious, the meat is slow cooked, made into a croquette and presented on a bed of pickley green goodness with a long piece of crackling. Unfortunately I didn’t listen to the name of this green goodness, because I was far to excited to get stuck in, but whatever it was it was lovely and worked really well.

Oysters

Aidan was brave (in my opinion anyway) and went for the Oysters Each of the three is served differently: one with cucumber and dill, one with Dashi and one poached in champagne. They were thoroughly enjoyed as he’d been talking about them weekend, though he did find the Dashi one a little strange.

Dessert though was by far Aidan’s favourite course. We ordered the forced rhubarb cheese cake with rhubarb sorbet and the signature salted caramel custard tart. While the rhubarb was delicious and really refreshing, we both instantly fell in love with the custard tart and I almost had to prise it from his hands in order to have some for myself.

After dinner truffles and marcons.

In his review last July for The Upcoming, Filippo L’Astronia described Trinity as a “perfect neighbourhood restaurant” and I think this is such a true summation of our experience.

Aside from the delicious food, if you were not sold on whether to visit or not, let the service be the reason you take the plunge. Relaxing and laid back, staff are friendly, happy to chat and make you feel completely at home, so much so that it is almost difficult to leave. It truly is a “a perfect neighbourhood” experience and dining experience you really don’t want to miss.

Do you have any recommendations for more good dining spots in London?

You can find out more about Adam Byatt and Trinity on the restaurant’s website here.

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Published by The Ditsy Explorer

Travel, dog and food obsessive. I also like reading so much that I got a degree in it. I'd love to hear from any one with similar interests, or any one at all for that matter!
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